


Vena Amoris

by kitamomo



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Oneshot, Post-Graduation, adult au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 19:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16771771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitamomo/pseuds/kitamomo
Summary: Kuro thinks slipping his ring onto a sleeping Keito was a delightful idea,Until it gets stuck.





	Vena Amoris

In the ancient times, the Egyptians believed that the fourth finger of the left hand was directly connected to the heart. This belief is the reason wedding rings are worn the way they are today.

Kuro smiled fondly at his mother’s ring as he lounged about in bed one idle sunny afternoon. There was something comforting about the way it gleamed in the sunlight peeking through the translucent curtains, most especially when his beloved was napping peacefully beside him.

They had been together for seven years now, marking their eighth in the coming week. A bond such as theirs was a rarity these days, they were often told, and they took pride in how they’ve withstood the test of time since their glory days at Yumenosaki.

Kuro warmly glanced over at Keito’s sleeping figure. He quietly watched over the other’s breathing; the steady rise and fall of Keito’s chest through the duvet, captivated by his boyfriend’s delicate features.

This is Hasumi Keito, the leader of their former unit, one of the very few he has gone through all walks of life with. Someone he’d go through great lengths for and wouldn’t mind waking up next to for several more years.

With how long they’ve been together, the prospect of marriage inevitably entered their heads from time to time, and Kuro flushed at the thought of formally being tied to his lover since high school, despite already having been in a pretty domestic relationship to begin with.

Kuro’s heart swelled as he allowed himself to wander in his own thoughts; from imagining Keito marching towards him in an elegant ceremonial kimono, to recounting all their memories together as they give their wedding speeches, to how a golden ring would look on his beloved’s finger. And while the first two would have to wait a while longer, the last thought wasn’t too far from happening.

Shifting his eyes back to his ring, on to Keito’s fingers, then back to his ring, Kuro asked himself if he dared to push through with the bizarre idea he just had.

_‘Surely, mom’s laughin’ at how ridiculous I’m bein’ right now,’_ he thought.

Carefully and quietly inching closer to keep his partner undisturbed, Kuro slowly slid the ring onto Keito’s ringfinger.

A perfect fit.

Save for a few ink stains from his manga work, the image of a golden wedding ring fitting comfortably snug on Keito’s finger was perfect. Kuro felt the heat rise to his face, making him all the more eager to fall on bended knee in complete submission.

_‘God,’_ he told himself, _‘I’m smilin’ like an idiot.’_

Like a child moments before opening a present, Kuro did his best to fight the grin that eventually won his face over. After another minute of just admiring the view, he figured it was time to take the ring off before his partner woke. After all, how, would he explain messing around with Keito’s finger, with _his mother’s ring,_ no less?

Kuro snailed closer, little by little, and reached for Keito’s hand.

He moved closer and closer --

And with a light tug, tried to pull it off --

Only to find the ring unceremoniously stuck around his boyfriend’s finger.

_‘Shit.’_

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled. Then inhaled again, and tried pulling it off with another light tug. No budge. Though it slid on effortlessly, the ring was still probably a little too small for a man’s hand, he guessed.

_‘I fucked up.’_

Staring defeatedly at the piece of jewelry, he clasped his hands together and paused in thought.

_Just tell Keito he was playing around?_ Out of the question. Besides, giving out any hints would only spoil what was in store, wouldn’t it?

_Use the blowdryer to make the ring expand a bit?_ Probably more difficult to explain than just playing with his sleeping lover’s hand.

Then, an idea struck him when he looked beside an old high school photo of Akatsuki, and found some massage oil conveniently resting on top of the bedside table.

_‘That oughtta do it.’_

Very gingerly sitting up, Kuro snaked his arm over Keito to reach for the bottle. He then clicked it open to squeeze some oil out. He abruptly stopped breathing, however, the moment Keito groaned and tossed over to the other side. Luckily enough, he was still asleep, with hints of light snoring every few breaths.

After painstakingly working on his manga until the wee hours of the morning, his Keito had probably fallen into a rather deep sleep. It always was a little more difficult to get him out of bed after a long night’s work, to the point where breakfast in bed started to become a more common thing for them. In this specific time however, Kuro was a teensy bit thankful his lover wasn’t a light sleeper.

Kuro sighed in relief and resumed his arduous task. He then took Keito’s hand, very gently, and started to squeeze it lightly. The oil had made it easy for his own hands to glide along his lover’s fingers, caressing them while trying to find that small gap between them and the ring.

He rubbed along the fingers’ length, feeling the callouses from all those years of archery training, and hours of working with the pen.

It only took a few more squeezes for the other to react, prompting Kuro to start gently caressing Keito’s hand once again.

The latter groggily blinked his eyes open, to find his partner smiling sheepishly back at him.

“Sorry,” Kuro said in a low voice, “Did I wake you? Just… wanted to massage your hands a little.”

_‘Wow. Great cover-up, genius.’_

Half-asleep, Keito mumbled incomprehensible jargon before instinctively squeezing Kuro’s hand in response, then closed his eyes again to fall back asleep. The sight of his lover half-functioning like this was an endearing sight, and he watched as Keito drifted back into slumber. Kuro then decided it was safe enough to try again once more.

After half a dozen more attempts of light tugging, the ring at long last, finally came off. The agony was over.

Kuro hurriedly wiped off the excess oil with his shirt and placed it back on its chain, hastily slinging it back around his neck.

He spent a few more minutes caressing his lover’s hand that afternoon. Kuro wandered back into his earlier thoughts, and knew it was about time to pop the big question. Perhaps in the coming week, he decided, when they celebrate their eighth year together.

Looking for the perfect ring was going to be one heck of a challenge, but at least he now knew what Keito’s size was.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading Vena Amoris!
> 
> Though it's never really mentioned (yet) whether or not Kuro's ring did belong to his mother, I think it could heavily be inferred. For some reason, I really like the thought of him putting his ring on Keito.
> 
> This is probably the quickest I've ever finished writing anything. I promised something fluffy next, so I hope this was a delightful read. ^^


End file.
